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And so he set off for the restaurant. Once he tracked down this Alan guy, Graham was determined they’d co
me to some sort of resolution. He just had to find out the guy’s price.
CHAPTER TWO
SHE’D MADE IT to work with literally a minute to spare.
Alina didn’t like to be late for anything. Her father used to say it was a trait she’d inherited from her mother. Alina had to take his word for it because she’d been too young when her mother had passed for her to remember those sorts of details.
What she did remember of her mother was that she was kind and loving. She remembered her mother’s smile; it was bright and glowing, warm and welcoming. But sometimes Alina wondered if that was a real memory or just something she’d picked up from staring at her mother’s pictures—the ones she’d been able to salvage and hide from her wicked stepmother. Once Alina’s father had remarried, her stepmother had rid their Manhattan apartment of everything that was a remembrance of Alina’s mother—as though she could just wipe away the past.
But when it came to Alina, her stepmother couldn’t just toss her out with the trash. Though Alina knew if she could, her stepmother would have done exactly that. Alina’s father used to say Alina was the spitting image of her mother. Alina didn’t see it. Not really. But everyone who had known her mother agreed. She was her mother’s mini-me.
Alina pushed aside thoughts of the past because if she didn’t start taking orders and serving up food, she wouldn’t get tipped. And if she didn’t get tipped, she wouldn’t make her rent payment. And that would just be one more excuse for the new building owner to kick her to the curb as soon as possible.
Alina’s mouth pulled into a distinct frown. How could someone be so cold and calculating, especially at this time of the year? Her gaze lifted, taking in the twinkle lights trimming the edge of the ceiling. This upscale restaurant went overboard with the decorations. It was part of its charm. The white walls were now adorned with Christmas prints. Large, red poinsettias were strategically placed about the dining room. A pencil tree stood near the hostess station with white lights and silver ornaments. And then there was Santa all done up in his red velvet and snowy white trim. Next to him were elves in their red overalls and pointed hats.
“Hurry up.” Her manager, Sally, softened the order with a smile. “It’s going to be a busy day.”
“How can you tell?” Alina asked.
“When you’ve been working here as long as I have, you can feel it in your bones.”
Alina arched a brow at Sally. She didn’t believe her. There was more to the woman’s reliable fortune-telling than feeling it in her bones. The woman definitely had a sixth sense about her.
Sally leaned in and said conspiratorially, “There are going to be flurries all day. No accumulation but enough to put people in the holiday spirit. They’ll be out and about trying to put a dent in their Christmas shopping. Mark my words.”
“I believe you.” And with that Alina tied her apron, not having time to worry about the wrinkles.
The restaurant wasn’t overly busy. The early breakfast crowd had moved on. But with this being the holiday season, shoppers would stop by the café off and on all day, in between finding just the right gift for that special someone in their life.
Not that Alina would know about that as her last boyfriend had broken up with her after just six months together. When the former building manager quit and moved to Florida where the winters were so much warmer, she’d taken on the building manager position to help pay off her credit card bills. But having two jobs took up a lot of time. These days she never had time in her busy schedule to go out on dates. She couldn’t blame her ex for breaking up with her. When she wasn’t working at the restaurant, she was on call to help the Stirling residents with all of their problems. Some she could help with, others she had to call in professionals.
Alina had just turned in an order when Sally walked up to her. “I have someone at one of my tables requesting you. At least I think it’s you he wants.”
Alina’s brows drew together as she smiled at her friend. “You think?”
Sally shrugged. “Thought you’d want to check him out since he’s awfully cute and he isn’t wearing a ring.”
“Let me guess. If you didn’t have your own cute husband waiting for you at home, you would have kept him to yourself?”
Sally’s smile widened. “How’d you guess?”
Alina shook her head. “I don’t need you setting me up. I’m fine on my own. I promise.”
“I’m not setting you up.” Sally’s expression was perfectly serious. “This guy was asking for Alan Martin. He said he was told he could find you here.”
“Alan? Seriously?” A lot of people messed up her name but this was really bad. She sighed. “Okay. I’ll see what he wants.”
Sally pointed her in the direction of a table near the front of the restaurant. Alina wondered what this man wanted. She hoped it wasn’t some sort of problem. She didn’t need any more problems. She was up to her chin in them.
Her steps were quick. Her orders would be up in a few minutes. And she wasn’t going to serve up food that had dried out under the warmer. She wouldn’t want to eat food that had been sitting too long and she wouldn’t do that to someone else.
With “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” playing in the background, Alina approached the table by the big windows overlooking the busy sidewalk. The man had his head down as he read the menu. It gave her a moment to study him. His hair was dark and cut short. Every strand appeared to be in place. He wore a dark suit. It looked expensive.
“Excuse me,” she said. “You asked for me.”
When he lifted his head, his gaze met hers. Her heart jolted in recognition. She would know those brown eyes anywhere. They were the same ones she’d stared into that very morning in the lobby of her building.
